[Pythonmac-SIG] Should Python.app be an LSUIElement = 1 app?

[Christopher Barker]

Bill Janssen wrote:
> Ronald Oussoren <ronaldoussoren at mac.com> wrote:
>> The fully standalone bundles that py2app creates are very useful, but
>> I definitely see the need for very thin .app bundles as well.
> 
> Interesting idea.  What's the lightest thing that's an app, anyway?

You can run py2app in "Alias" mode ($python setup.py py2app -A), and you 
get a full app bundle that has links to everything it needs, rather than 
actually including it all. They are faster to build, but the main 
advantage is that as the code changes, you don't have to do anything, 
the bundle is referencing the original copy anyway. It still acts as a 
full application.

As an example, I use this to run the Peppy editor (nice editor -- you 
should all take a look at it!). I've got the Alias bundle set up, I put 
it in the dock and just use it like a .app -- click on it to start, drag 
and drop files on it, etc. when I do an "svn up", I get the updated 
version, and don't have to touch a thing.

I'm sure alias bundles have their limitations (aside from the obvious 
one of only working on that machine, with all its python packages), but 
I'm not sure what they are beyond the same limitations of running a 
script directly.

They build faster and more reliably that full py2app bundles, too.

-Chris






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